Both major parties took cash from China mogul, ABC reports

A political scandal has erupted in Australia over Chinese influence after it was revealed that senior figures in the ruling and opposition parties accepted money from a Chinese billionaire before he was banned from the country for links to Beijing.

Huang Xiangmo, 49, donated A$2.7 million (NZ$2.8M) to the governing Liberal and opposition Labor parties, before being thrown out of the country this year, it was confirmed.

This week it was revealed that Peter Dutton, 48, the Liberal-led government’s hardline immigration minister, agreed to a private dinner in 2016 with Mr Huang after the tycoon paid a lobbyist A$10,000 to press his case for Australian citizenship.

The opposition Labor party leader, Bill Shorten, 51, was dragged into the row after it was revealed that he accepted a A$55,000 donation from Huang after agreeing to a private lunch in 2015, and attended the wedding of Huang’s daughter in Sydney the year after.

Photographs of the wedding emerged after Shorten’s office refused to explain the lunch date. Christian Porter, 48, Australia’s attorney-general, said the photographs showed the ‘‘depth’’ and extent of the relationship between Shorten and Huang.

The government cancelled Huang’s permanent residency status in February and banned him from re-entering Australia under laws introduced last year by the former prime minister Malcom Turnbull, 64, amid concerns that China was attempting to influence Australian politics.

Turnbull , who was forced out of office last year, said that Dutton had ‘‘a lot to explain’’ and that Morrison bore ultimate responsibility.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported on Monday that Chinese Australians had been interrogated by Chinese agents seeking information about Turnbull’s investigation into Beijing’s influence. – The Times